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  • Learn More About Steins

    A stein is a large mug most often used for drinking beer. A staple for German celebrations for hundreds of years, German beer steins have gained popularity around the world, with many people referring to them as beer steins. Steins often include an attached, matching, hinged lid with a thumb lever for easy opening, but there's no rule for these mammoth mugs to have a lid to be considered a stein.


    Though the stein is most closely associated with German cultures, this style of mug wasn't exclusive to Germany alone. England has historically used similar glassware, called tankards, to hold their beer.


    The stein's semi-formal but unofficial capacity is two pints, and many contain a waterline etched on the inside to indicate the appropriate amount to pour.

    Most historians agree that beer mugs began sporting lids around the end of the Dark Ages. Flies and other insects were much more abundant in those days, and mug makers began adding lids to keep bugs out of the brew. Antique beer steins were usually cast from pewter, and so mug makers began fashioning pewter caps to match. As potters and other craftspeople began creating vessels of their own design, pewter remained the material of choice for stein lids.

    Nope! Though they're often used to serve up lager, ales, and other types of beer, that doesn't mean you can only use them to hold hoppy brews. From water to root beer floats, you can use a stein to hold your favorite drink of any kind.

    Many people simply love the old-world aesthetic that steins possess, making them a great collectible item. Antique and vintage beer steins are often nothing less than works of art. Sometimes just as ornamental as they are useful, these glasses often include elaborate adornment—like coats of arms, brightly painted scenes, or intricately etched patterns. Ornate steins are the perfect item to display on a wall shelf or in a glass hutch.


    Steins’ old-world motifs also make for clever—and handy—costume accessories. Medieval and fantasy-themed cosplayers often carry a custom-made beer stein or goblet to round out their costume.